One Chance
by iluvzanessa94
Summary: What would you do if you were given one chance? And that one chance would either ruin your life or make it better. Troy Bolton had one chance. It was either to fall in love with Gabriella Montez or she would hate him forever. What should he do? The End
1. Trailer

One Chance

She was the prettiest thing…no, hottest thing in school. All of the guys couldn't take their eyes off of her. But one guy had caught her eye the school's basketball captain. She hated basketball captains, but he didn't know that. "YOU HAVE ONE THING IN COMMON WITH ALL OF THE DAMN CAPTAINS I'VE SLEPT WITH!!" "AND WHAT WOULD THAT BE" "YOU ARE ALL ASSES!!" He had one chance to prove to her that he was different than all the rest. Would he be able to prove to her in time? Would she give in?

**What would you do if you were given one chance?**

_Shows Gabriella Montez walking down the hallway with a mini-skirt, a pink shirt with a white tank-top underneath, and silver high-heeled shoes; also with a brown DC purse_

**What if that one chance made you fall in love with the hottest thing in school?**

_Shows Troy Bolton checking Gabriella out_

**But what if that chance turned you down?**

"YOU'RE AN ASSHOLE!!"

"YOU DON'T FUCKIN' KNOW ME! HOW CAN YOU FUCKIN' CALL ME THAT?"

**Would you re-think about what happened?**

_Shows Gabriella slapping Troy in the face_

**If you were that hot thing, what would you really want from a guy? Would you give him a second chance?**

_Shows Troy asking Gabriella for another chance with him_

**Starring:**

**Zac Efron as Troy Bolton**

"What do you want from me Gabriella Montez? What do you seriously fucking want?" –_Shows Troy pushing Gabriella against the lockers in the hallway_

**Vanessa Hudgens as Gabriella Montez**

"Troy Bolton is the biggest asshole I have ever met. I don't want to ever see him again." –_Shows Gabriella sitting in her room with Sharpay & Taylor_

**Ashley Tisdale as Sharpay Evans**

"Troy David Alexander Bolton! You are so dead!!" –_Shows Sharpay pointing a finger at Troy in homeroom_

**Lucas Grabeel as Ryan Evans**

"Not that I'm choosing sides or anything, but she's right Troy." –_Shows Ryan sitting with Troy & Chad at lunch, looking at Gabriella_

**Corbin Bleu as Chad Danforth**

"Dude, she's a bitch! Why'd she slap you?" –_Shows Chad looking at the reddish hand mark Gabriella left_

**And Monique Coleman as Taylor McKessie**

"I'd slap him hard if I were you. If Troy really did this to you, just slap him and walk away. Don't…look…back." –_Shows Taylor in Gabriella's room after what happened to Gabriella_

**COMING SOON!! JANUARY 2009!!!**

**Please tell me what you think.**


	2. A bribe

_Asshole._ Gabriella's favorite word in her 'List of Names for Perverted Losers' dictionary that she kept with her always in her backpack, otherwise known as her purse that she brought with her to school. Other than being a school girl; she was also the school's most famous slut. Gabriella was now eighteen and remembered all of the times she's been through since her mother had passed away. She was legal to move out of her father's house, but first she needed to go to college and then get a job to be able to have enough money for college. Her father wasn't a good man and also Gabriella had gone through many harsh punishments. Now, Gabriella locked her car and headed towards the entrance of East High. She has gone to East high ever since she was fifteen when she had first moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico.

As she entered her last year of being at East high, Gabriella had forgotten how many faces she had seen the first day she walked through those same doors when she was fifteen. "Gabriella!" A voice called out to her and she looked towards the direction the voice had come from. It was Kelsi Nielsen, the school's pianist. "Hello Kelsi. How was your morning so far?" Gabriella asked. Gabriella was wearing a mini-skirt, a pink shirt with a white tank top underneath, and silver high heeled shoes; also with a brown DC purse. "It was okay, but I have to ask you to do me one little favor." Kelsi said. Gabriella, being a petite little girl knew the feelings that Kelsi felt. Her mom had encouraged Gabriella to believe in herself and so Gabriella did. "Sure, walk with me to my locker first and tell me what you want me to do." Gabriella and Kelsi both walked down the hallway together as many guys stared.

"Assholes…" Gabriella muttered to herself, looking at the guys. She opened her locker as Kelsi kept talking. "…and so I was wondering if you could do the spring musical, since you are a very good singer and that you're Sharpay's friend and nothing will come between you, right?" Gabriella sighed and took out her Geometry book, Chemistry, and English book. "I'll have to think about that Kels. Thanks for the generous offer. You'll probably see Shar and me at the theater this afternoon." Gabriella smiled as she closed her locker and walked to her homeroom. Ms. Darbus' homeroom was the worst class in the entire school. Not only was the whole basketball team in her class, but Troy Bolton, the team captain was in there too. Gabriella entered her homeroom and sat in the back. As usual, Ms. Darbus wanted Gabriella to sit in the front, so Sharpay was now sitting in the back behind her brother, Ryan Evans. "Ms. Darbus, do you really want me in the front?" Gabriella asked Ms. Darbus. She remembered asking the same question when she was fifteen.

And all Ms Darbus said was, "You're our straight A student and they shouldn't be in the back." Gabriella sighed as she sat down in her seat, next to Troy Bolton. Today was the day Ms Darbus was teaching Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. While Ms Darbus was writing some quotes on the bored, Troy turned in his seat to get a better look at Gabriella. Troy and his friends called it 'checking her out', while Gabriella and her friends called it 'Perverts'. Gabriella caught Troy looking at her again for the fifth time in a row. "Will you cut it out!" she hissed at him, whispering so Ms Darbus wouldn't catch her talking. "Why'd you have to be so damn hot?" he asked her in the same tone. Taylor heard what Troy had said because she was sitting right behind Chad. She rolled her eyes and wrote something down on a piece of paper. She passed it to Sharpay, who passed it to Ryan, and finally caught up to Gabriella.

_Say this after class ends: "Troy you are a fuckin' loser and you should fuckin' go to hell." _Gabriella hid the note in her pocket before Ms Darbus turned around. The bell rang and Troy was the first to go. Gabriella, Taylor, and Sharpay saw Troy with Chad and Ryan. "You really want me to say, 'Troy you are a fuckin' loser and you should fuckin' go to hell?'" Gabriella looked at Taylor. Taylor nodded. "Gabby, say it like you really mean it." The three girls were standing at Gabriella's locker, which wasn't too far away from Troy's. "No, that's…that's too mean. I don't want to—""Gabriella, you caught him checking you out. Now give him what he wants." Sharpay pressured Gabriella. Gabriella hated being pressured, especially by her arrogant father. She walked up to Troy who was laughing at a joke Chad said and immediately, Troy turned around. "Sorry about…this morning, I thought…" "No, it's not your fault." Gabriella smiled and walked back towards her friends.

"You didn't say it?" Taylor asked. Gabriella shook her head and turned to Troy. She put her middle finger in the air and smiled at Troy. She turned around and walked to Geometry. "Holy shit Gabs, that's better than what Taylor could've done." Martha Cox, another friend of Gabriella's, told her in Geometry. Gabriella laughed, but it wasn't loud enough for the teacher to catch her. "He deserved an innocent 'I accept your apology' look, but I gave him what I should've done to my ex-boyfriend, Kevin." Gabriella said. After geometry, the girls headed to lunch with all of their stuff. Kelsi walked up to the girls and sat down with them next to Martha. "Gabriella, are you going to be in the spring musical or not?" Kelsi asked. Gabriella looked at Sharpay, Taylor, and Martha. When she turned to look at Kelsi, her eyes gazed over to the jock table where Troy was. "Sure, I'd love to." She smiled. One of the guys got up from the table. "This is for you…" he gave her a bouquet of red roses. Gabriella pulled out the card and it read:

"_I got your message earlier today and I understand that you hate me. Meet me at my car after school. 3pm and don't bring any of your friends. Troy Bolton"_


	3. One text equals trouble

_Crap. _Another word in her 'List of Names for Perverted Losers' dictionary, but it wasn't a name to call a perverted loser. It was a word that you would say out loud, to signal that you did something terribly wrong and Gabriella Montez was stupid enough to do it. When the bell rang at exactly 3pm, Gabriella walked out of the building and met up with Troy Bolton at his car. "What do you want Bolton?" she asked. "Nothing; just to talk to you." He put his hands in his pockets. "I can't be late you know. My dad's going to kill me if I don't get home on time." Gabriella took out her cell phone and sighed. "So, please hurry and tell me what you need to ask me." Gabriella pleaded. She lied about the dad going to kill her part, but it was true that her dad would 'hit' her if she didn't get home on time. "I was kind of hoping if you wanted to go out with me. I mean, not that you would say yes, coz you wouldn't and—"Gabriella smiled. "I love to." "Does this Friday sound good?" Troy asked. "Friday at what time?" she asked him before walking to her car. "Does 7pm sound good?" "Yeah; that sounds good." She walked away and headed towards her car.

Gabriella finally arrived home and her dad was waiting for her. "What took you so damn long Gabriella?" her dad asked her. "Dad, I had to talk to Kelsi." She lied and immediately her phone rang and it was Sharpay. "Hey Shar…" Gabriella smiled. "Yea; did Kels give you the music that I asked her to give you?" She paused as she glanced at her dad nervously. "Great; yeah, I'll see you tomorrow. Bye!" Gabriella hung up. "See; I did talk to Kelsi dad and I didn't mean to come home late. Mom said that school clubs or friend dates would work out fine." "Don't talk about your mother in this house." He slapped her. "DAD I'M 18 AND I KNOW WHAT CHILD ABUSE IS!!!!" she screamed at him and headed up stairs. She slammed her door and locked it. She dialed Taylor's number and packed all of her clothes in a back. But Taylor never answered. She groaned and called Sharpay's phone number, well Ryan's. He didn't answer. After packing her clothes, she unlocked her door and headed downstairs. "Where are you going?" her father asked her.

"I want you to go dad. I'm 18 and I'm old enough to live here alone. I don't care where you go, but I want to stay away from this house until you leave me alone." Gabriella grabbed her keys and headed out the door. She slammed the door behind her, started her car, and drove to the nearest house. The Bolton's house. She regretted going here, but she didn't know where else to go. She stopped her car and placed her shoes inside the trunk. Instead, she took out her flip flops and walked up to the front door with her gym bag that her mother had given her, in case she wanted to run away. Her mother had reminded her, "Gabriella, if your dad gets angry and beats you, I want you to have this bag and run away. I need you to stay at my friend Lucille's house and nowhere else." Gabriella touched her left cheek, which stung and rang the door bell. Someone opened the door. "Gabriella?" Troy asked her. Gabriella was crying and hugged him. "Please let me stay here. My dad will never find out. Please Troy…" she pulled back from the hug.

Troy smiled and let Gabriella enter his house. His house looked familiar to Gabriella's, but it felt a lot like home. He locked the door and led Gabriella towards his room upstairs. They sat down on his bed to talk before his mom called him for dinner. "You can always come here if something bad happens like that." Troy said after Gabriella told him her story. Gabriella smiled and said, "My mom told me that this was the only house I could go to and nowhere else. She said that I was going to be safe here away from my dad if he ever hurt me like that." "Do you want to come down for dinner? Chad's coming over with his family." Troy stood up and Gabriella took off her flip flops as she followed Troy downstairs to see his dad, Jack opening the door for the Danforth's. Troy and Chad greeted each other with a 'manly hug' and Gabriella just stood there looking at the ground. She remembered the time when she ran away, the day her mother had passed away. She ran away from her dad, her house, and stayed with the Bolton's. Gabriella was fifteen years old when she last stayed her.

She and Troy used to be friends, but that was before she became friends with Sharpay and Taylor. "She gets to sleep here and I can't?" Chad asked. "It's a long story and I can't tell you." Troy wasn't known for keeping his secrets, but Gabriella knew the side that she wanted to see. Troy being her best friend again… "Just tell him Troy…" Gabriella looked at Troy with tear stained cheeks. Troy told Chad the story and the two vowed to never tell anyone. "Kids, dinner's ready!" Lucille walked out of the kitchen, where the adults were talking. Gabriella looked at Mrs. Bolton; she started crying even more. "What's up with the crying?" Chad asked and Troy hit him, lightly though. Troy walked up to Gabriella and grabbed her hand. "Let's go eat." He said as he brought her into the kitchen. Chad sat down next to Gabriella. She stared at her food and it was quiet for only a moment until Troy's parents started talking. Lucille knew the reason why Gabriella was at their house. "Gabs, you have to eat." Troy whispered into her ear.

She took a bite out of the macaroni on her plate. Her favorite food whenever she was at the Bolton's house. But she wasn't hungry, but it was polite to eat. The last time she heard her nickname 'Gabs' from Troy was the first day of school when she became friends with him. Gabriella waited while Troy finished his plate and followed him upstairs. Chad followed them shortly after finishing his food and thanking Mrs. Bolton for the great dinner. The three met in Troy's room and they started talking. "So this is the only house that you'd go to when you runaway?" Chad asked as Gabriella nodded. "Does she—"Gabriella tensed up and Troy said, "She talks, but not to you."

That Friday, Gabriella arrived at school and parked her car near Troy's car. They both entered the school together as their friends watched from the bus stop and the parking lot. Gabriella felt safer around Troy, but she still thought he was an asshole. Troy and Gabriella both walked to their lockers, which were about 5ft away from each other. Gabriella took out her History book and Troy did the same thing. "You have 5th period with Troy?" Taylor asked. "He switched classes." Gabriella said and headed down the hallway into Ms Darbus' classroom. She sat down in her seat and Troy sat down in his seat, at the same time the bell did. Gabriella was wearing a light blue shirt, dark blue jeans, black high heels, and a Luis Vuitton white purse. This time, Troy didn't glance at Gabriella because he was focusing on one thing. The date with Gabriella at 7pm.

At 3pm afterschool, Sharpay and Taylor were over at Gabriella's house. "I'm so glad your dad decided to leave." Sharpay sat down on Gabriella's bed. "Yea; I'm glad too." Gabriella agreed, smiling as she logged onto her laptop and logged onto MySpace. She sat down on the bed beside Sharpay and Taylor sat down beside Gabriella. "Oooh…I wanna see if Tay, Kels, Martha, and I are still your top four friends." Sharpay took the laptop from Gabriella and clicked 'friends' on the top. "WHAT!?!?!" Sharpay was very shocked as Taylor went around and sat beside Sharpay. "How is Troy Bolton your top friend? I mean the first one?" Sharpay asked. Gabriella blushed and went blank. She blushed because of embarrassment. "I-I don't know…" she lied. "Tell the truth Gabriella." Taylor said. "Okay, during my freshman year, Troy and I became best friends. His mom and my mom were friends." "Is that the full truth?" Sharpay asked as Gabriella nodded.

"And is there anything else we should know about you two?" Taylor asked with curiosity. "He asked me on a date and he's picking me up tonight at 7pm." Both girls went silent and Gabriella took her laptop from Sharpay. She sat at her computer desk and sighed. She started typing her report for English. Her assignment was to write a report about 'Child Abuse' and happily, Gabriella knew so much about that. Around six-thirty, Gabriella got dressed for her date. She wasn't sure if she'd go formal and innocent or formal and sexy. _I'd rather go with innocent._ She thought as she pulled out herself a sleek black halter top dress and matching high-heels. She decided to go with the half-up-half-down hair-do, did her make-up, and checked to see if her cell phone was on vibrate, just in case her friends called. At exactly 7pm, the doorbell rang and she went to answer it. "You look beautiful this evening Ms. Montez." Troy smiled as Gabriella smiled back. "You haven't changed much…" Gabriella locked the door as Troy led her up to his car.

"A new car?" she asked him. "Yeah; my parents gave it to me for my eighteenth birthday. They wanted me to invite you, but I told them that it was just me and the guys. And when I asked you the day before my party, you said no because you had plans." Troy opened the door for her, like a gentleman would, and closed it right after she got in. Once he finally got in, started the car, and headed down the street to a restaurant. "My mom died three weeks after my eighteenth birthday. She told me to invite you, but I said to her that I couldn't because Sharpay wouldn't agree with it. I never celebrated my eighteenth birthday and I was thinking about inviting you, but…" Gabriella trailed off. "But what…?" Troy wondered as he stopped at a red light. "I thought your friends would ask you, 'Why would you want to go to a girl's birthday party?' I never actually got what I wanted. Not that I wanted a new dad, but my dad's strict. He grew up in Mexico and my mom grew up in America."

Once the light turned green, Troy made a left turn. "What did you want for your birthday? Besides the things you already have…" Troy parked his car in front of a familiar restaurant. Gabriella stared at the name of the restaurant and then she looked at him. "Before you say anything, yes; this is the same restaurant that I have taken you to before. But that was…" "Three years ago and no one knows about that. Sharpay or Taylor haven't found out yet." Gabriella smiled and got out of the car at the same time Troy did. Troy locked the car and brought her to the door. He opened the door for her and Gabriella entered, "Thank you." "You're welcome." He smiled as he followed her into the restaurant. "Is that my uncle Benny?" Gabriella whispered to Troy. He nodded and she ran to her uncle. "Uncle Benny!" she hugged him. "Gabriella!" Her uncle hugged her back. After the hug, "You have grown so big. How are you?" Benny asked with a glimmer in his eyes. "I'm great."

"I'm so sorry about your mother." Benny knew what happened to his sister, Marie. "I'm pulling through Uncle Ben, but my dad's been too rough on me lately and I told him to leave. I told him to go back to Mexico and to never come back." Gabriella said proudly. "That's good. Are you staying by yourself at your mother's house then?" Benny asked. Gabriella nodded. Immediately, Gabriella's cousin entered the room, "Alec!" she hugged him too. Gabriella and Alec were the same age. They pulled back from the hug. "You look different today Brie." Alec complimented. "Shut up…" Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Oh, I want you to meet someone, a friend of mine." Gabriella pulled Alec up to Troy. "Troy, I want you to meet my cousin Alec. Alec, this is my friend Troy." Alec and Troy shook hands. "It's a pleasure to meet you." Alec smiled. "You too." Troy smiled back. "Can I get you guys a table? The food's free if you want Brie." Alec offered Troy and Gabriella. "That'd be great Alec, but…" "I know, away from the door." Alec said in his Mexican accent.

Once Troy and Gabriella were seated, "Your mom's side of the family is very welcoming." Troy said as Gabriella giggled. "My mom's side has been that way for many generations." "You're very welcoming too, but when you're at school, you avoid people sometimes." Troy said. "Yeah; it's just Sharpay wants me to stay away from you and your friends and—"Gabriella looked up from her menu and saw someone familiar. She hid behind her menu before Troy could turn and see who Gabriella saw. "What is it?" Troy whispered. "Sharpay's here with Zeke." Gabriella told him in the same tone. Troy was about to turn around, "Don't look! They'll see us and especially, Zeke will see you with me." "Aren't you…" "Yeah; I know. The hottest girl in school aka the school s-l-u-t…" Gabriella said and saw Alec walking towards them. "Alec, you see those two people over there." She motioned towards Sharpay and Zeke. "Yeah…wait, is that Sharpay Evans?" Alec asked looking. "Yes, could you please escort them to a table far away from ours?" Gabriella asked.

Alec nodded and walked up to Sharpay. Gabriella put her menu on the table and moved her chair near Troy's. "Can you act like my boyfriend for five minutes?" she asked Troy. "I'm already acting like your best friend and you want me to act like your boyfriend?" he looked at her as she looked up at him. "Sure…" Gabriella smiled. _Perfect._ Suddenly her phone buzzed and she saw a text message.

_I see you… who are you with? Shar_

Gabriella sighed and text back.

_I saw you earlier. Why are you with Zeke Baylor?_

_He asked me okay and I said yes. Did you know this Mexican waiter dude is offering us free stuff?_

_Yup; he's my cousin Alec on my mom's side. He always does that with the customers, even if his dad doesn't allow it. He never listens, but he's a good companion._

_Tell me who you're with. You already know Zeke…_

_You might freak out, but please don't… promise me you won't freak out. Promise?_

_Yes, I promise._

_I'm with… Troy Bolton._

"WHAT!?!?!?!?!" I heard Sharpay from across the room and I sank even lower in my seat. _Crap…_ I thought. _She's definitely going to kill me_.


	4. Because of You

Sorry. :(  
I haven't updated in two or three weeks because I had lots of homework to do and that my computer was down, which sucked. So anyway, I hope you enjoy this story because my other story Remembering Gabriella Montez was kind of okay. Anyway, please review or else I (might) delete but I'm not sure about that. It all depends on YOU. yes the readers. so please take your time and understand that I'm trying my best to write this story. If you have any ideas, just PM me. thank you guys so much. I love you all and all of the nicest reviews that you have given me so far.

Now back to the Story...

-

_Troy Bolton. _The name that Gabriella Montez had hated since the day that he asked her out. "YOU'RE AN ASSHOLE!!" Gabriella Montez screamed at Troy in the parking lot. "YOU DON'T FUCKIN' KNOW ME!!! HOW CAN YOU FUCKIN' CALL ME THAT?" he yelled back at her. Gabriella stared at him and walked away. Chad walked up to him. "What did you do?" he asked him. "She called me an asshole." Troy said as they both entered the building. "Why'd she call you that?" Chad asked again. "It happened last Friday on our 'special' date, which wasn't so special because Sharpay ruined it." Troy opened his locker. "What exactly happened?" Ryan asked walking up to them.

Meanwhile with Gabriella, Sharpay, and Taylor; "Did he really do that to you?" Taylor asked. Gabriella nodded, crying. "Gabs, Troy's been wanting a girlfriend for so long. His mind and his heart don't go together. His mind tells him that he just wants you, but his heart might tell him that he loves you." Sharpay explained. The girls were sitting around Gabriella's desk in homeroom. Ms. Darbus was sick and they had Mr. Bolton for their homeroom teacher. "He doesn't love me. He's just using me." Gabriella told her friends as Troy entered, along with Chad and Ryan. "What are you doing here?" Sharpay asked Troy coldly. He stared at her blankly, but then shifted his gaze onto Gabriella. _Did I really make her cry? _He asked himself as the bell ran.

Gabriella wiped her tears away just as Troy's dad entered the room. He called out roll and Gabriella just looked at the clock, actually she was thinking about something. _What did I do wrong? What did I do? _She asked herself. "Gabriella...?" Troy asked quietly as she looked at him. "What do you want Bolton?" she asked harshly. "I..." he paused before saying what he was going to say. The bell rang and Gabriella stood up; she walked out of the classroom without looking back. He sighed and followed her. He brushed by her arm and pulled her into a storage room nearby. He closed the door and locked it. "What do you want?" she asked him. "I don't want you Gabriella. I don't want your body. I love you Gabriella Montez." he said as she stared at him, with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry I yelled at you; I..." The bell rang. "I'm gonna be late." She opened the door and headed to class.

Troy stood there, watching her and realized that he was going to be late too. Instead, he walked into the music room to talk to Kelsi. "Hey Kels; can you do me a favor?" he asked her, leaning on the piano. "Sure; what kind of favor?" She looked at him. "What song is Gabriella Montez doing for the spring musical?" he asked her. "Um... she doesn't want anyone to find out; how do you know about Gabriella singing in the musical?" Kelsi was very curious. "She told me; look, I need to know if she's singing solo or a duet." Troy said as Kelsi looked through the sheet music she had placed on her piano. She pulled out a piece and Troy looked over it. The song was: _Because of You_ by Kelly Clarkson. The door opened as Troy hid somewhere in the room. Gabriella entered the room to rehearse. "Hey Kels!" Gabriella hugged her friend as she looked over the song.

"Who's your favorite singer?" Kelsi asked. "Oh it varies, depending on what mood I'm in." Gabriella answered with a smile. "So, you ready to rehearse?" Kelsi asked. "Yup!" Gabriella said as she put her stuff down. Kelsi started playing as Troy listened quietly as Gabriella sang.

Gabriella:

I will not make the same mistakes that you did

I will not let myself

Cause my heart so much misery

I will not break the way you did

You fell so hard

I've learned the hard way

To never let it get that far

Because of you  
I never stray too far from the sidewalk  
Because of you  
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt  
Because of you  
I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me  
Because of you  
I am afraid

I lose my way  
And it's not too long before you point it out  
I cannot cry  
Because I know that's weakness in your eyes  
I'm forced to fake  
A smile, a laugh everyday of my life  
My heart can't possibly break  
When it wasn't even whole to start with

Because of you  
I never stray too far from the sidewalk  
Because of you  
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt  
Because of you  
I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me  
Because of you  
I am afraid

I watched you die  
I heard you cry every night in your sleep  
I was so young  
You should have known better than to lean on me  
You never thought of anyone else  
You just saw your pain  
And now I cry in the middle of the night  
For the same damn thing

Because of you  
I never stray too far from the sidewalk  
Because of you  
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt  
Because of you  
I try my hardest just to forget everything  
Because of you  
I don't know how to let anyone else in  
Because of you  
I'm ashamed of my life because it's empty  
Because of you  
I am afraid

Because of you  
Because of you


	5. Miss Independent

There's an addition to Chapter 4. Here it is:

Troy stood in the closet for what seemed like hours, but as Gabriella finished singing, he did the most stupidest thing a guy could do. Sneeze. Gabriella turned and looked towards the direction of the closet. "Did you hear that?" Gabriella asked Kelsi; she never took her gaze away from the closet. Troy thought Gabriella was going to walk up to the closet and find him. "No, I didn't hear anything." Kelsi lied and Gabriella turned towards her friend. "Oh..." And then she smiled. "Thanks for rehearsing with me." She walked out of the music room, just as Troy stepped out of the closet. "You better clean that closet Kels." Troy smiled. "Oh, here's a song that would be perfect for you to sing. You should try it out." Troy looked at the title. _Miss Independent _"It's Gabriella's favorite song; her absolute favorite." Kelsi said as Troy thanked Kelsi. The bell had rung for lunch and they both walked out together, walking to the cafeteria.

And here's Chapter 5. Thank you for your patience! Please review! :)

-

_Miss Independent. Miss Independent. _The song title rang in Troy's head; he couldn't get it out. Now all he had to do was learn the lyrics and practice. But who would be smart enough to know the song? He entered the cafeteria and spotted Ryan talking with the guys as he walked over to them. "Where have you been man? We've been looking everywhere." Chad sounded like he was worried. "I was uh...talking with Kelsi about something." Troy said. "About what...?" Jason asked. "Is it about the spring musical?" Ryan asked. "Yeah; I guess..." Troy trailed off as he sat down next to Chad. "Let me see the song." Ryan held out his hand as Troy gave him the piece. "Oh... Miss Independent. Nice piece. I wonder why Kels--" Ryan trailed off and hid the music under the table just as Sharpay, Taylor, and Gabriella passed by. Kelsi and Martha were following right behind them.

Kelsi sat down with the guys, but sat next to Ryan instead. He read the song right in front of him. "Why'd you do that?" Zeke asked. "You know this song is Gabriella's favorite song. Everyone should know that." Ryan answered. "None of us know that though." Chad said. "You never heard Gabriella sing before?" Ryan asked surprisingly as the guys shook their heads. "Come to the auditions after school. And Troy, I'll help you with this. Come by the music room after lunch." Troy nodded. Sharpay walked over and Ryan hid the song under the table one more time. The girls followed Sharpay over. "Kelsi, why are you over here?" Taylor asked Kelsi. "I wanted to sit next to Ryan and talk to him about the choreography for the musical." Kelsi answered, looking up. "Oh; Ryan what do you have under the table?" Sharpay asked her twin brother. "Nothing..." Ryan replied.

"C'mon, show it to me." she held out her hand as Ryan refused. He handed the paper under the table and passed it to Zeke. Zeke passed it to Jason, who passed it to Chad, and Chad gave it to Troy. "Troy, give us the sheet music. Please?" Sharpay asked politely. "What music? This is nothing." Troy said. "Are you sure Bolton?" Gabriella asked, walking behind Troy. Troy passed it to Kelsi and she couldn't pass it back. "Kelsi, give us the sheet music." Sharpay said. "Why should I Sharpay? You've always been mean to me. So why should I listen to you?" Kelsi couldn't believe that she was standing up for herself. Sharpay was silent for a moment, but she was about to say something when, "Look Sharpay, we're all tired of hearing your stupid rules and mean comments about everyone in the damn school. If you keep treating us like this one more time, you're out of the musical and I'll tell Ms. Darbus that you've been acting like this." Kelsi said, standing up and walking away. All of the guys stood up and watched Kelsi leave.

"I'm gonna go." Jason told them, following Kelsi. "What did we do?" Sharpay asked. "Let's go..." Troy said as the guys turned and walked away. "Nice going Sharpay." Gabriella said walking away. Taylor and Martha followed Gabriella out of the cafeteria as Sharpay stood there. Everyone was staring at her and she walked out of the cafeteria angrily.

-

After lunch in the theater; "Great job Gabriella." Gabriella smiled as she got off the stage and went to sit in her seat. Ms. Darbus called out Troy's name and everyone stopped clapping. "Dude, if you want her back, you have to do this." Chad said. Troy groaned and walked out on stage. "Troy will be singing 'Miss Independent' by Ne-Yo." Ms. Darbus said looking down at her notes.

Ooh it's something about just something about the way she moved  
I can't figure it out, there's something about her (about her)  
Say ooh there's something about,  
Kinda women that want you but don't need you  
Hey, I can't figure it out, there's something about her  
Cause she walk like a boss, talk like a boss  
Manicured nalis, just sent the pedicure off  
She's fly effortlessly  
Cause she move like a boss, do what a boss  
Do, she got me thinking about getting involved  
That's the kinda girl I need

She got her own thing  
That's why I love her  
Miss independent  
Won't you come and spend a little time  
She got her own thing  
That's why I love her  
Miss independent  
Ooh the way you shine  
Miss independent

Hey yeh yeh, yeh yeh, yeh yehhh mmm

Ooh there's something about kinda woman that can do it for herself  
I look at her and it makes me proud, there's something about her  
There something ooh so sexy about the kinda women that don't even need my help  
She says she got it, she got it, no doubt, there's something about her  
Cause she work like the boss, play like the boss  
Car and a crib, she about to pay em both off  
And her bills are paid on time  
She made for a boss, Soley a boss,  
Anything less, shes telling em to get lost  
That's the girl that on my mind

She got her own thing  
That's why I love her  
Miss independent  
Won't you come and spend a little time  
She got her own thing  
That's why I love her  
Miss independent  
Ooh the way you shine  
Miss independent

Yeh yehhh

Her favourite thing, is to say don't worry I got it  
And everything she got, best believe she bought it  
She gon' steal my heart, ain't no doubt about it,  
Girl your everything I need, said your everything I need

She got her own thing  
That's why I love her  
Miss independent  
Won't you come and spend a little time  
She got her own thing  
That's why I love her  
Miss independent  
Ooh the way you shine  
Miss independent  
That's why I love her

-

Troy finished the song and everyone started clapping. Even Ms. Darbus was blown away by the song he had just sang. Troy was surprised himself that he had blown away his homeroom teacher, but the only thing that he feared was the fact that his dad wouldn't allow him to be _in_ the musical. Troy handed the microphone to Sharpay just as she was called to sing. He headed backstage, "That was amazing." Chad said. "It seems like you have your own little talent there Bolton." Gabriella complimented, smiling as she walked up to him. "Other than basketball...? Pssh! That's nothing." Troy shrugged it off as he walked passed her. "Troy!" she called out to him before Sharpay was about to finish her song. He turned to look at her. Gabriella was wearing a red tank top, a white sweater, dark blue jeans, and black high-heels. Her hair was tied to the side and she had on her necklace with a 'T' on it.

Everything that Gabriella seemed to wear, Troy wanted his hands on. But as he looked at the necklace, he couldn't help but think of the past.

_Flashback._

_"Gabriella, wait!" 15 year old Troy called out to his best friend before she left to go back to California. "What is it?" she turned around. Gabriella Montez was wearing a white headband and she was wearing a white dress. "I want to give you this." Troy gave her a box as she opened it. It was a necklace with a 'T'. "T for Troy?" she asked him, smiling. He nodded as she hugged him. "Thank you." She pulled back from the hug and walked away with her parents._

_Flashback ends._

"What are you staring at?" she asked him as he looked up at her. "Oh; that necklace you're wearing. That's very beautiful." he complimented. "Thank you." Gabriella smiled as she walked away. "What did you tell her?" Zeke asked. "That necklace she was wearing, I told her that it was very beautiful." Troy said and walked out of the theater; his friends following him.


	6. Regrets

_Stupid…_ Two weeks later, "I had sex with Troy Bolton." Gabriella confessed to her friends on the phone. "WHAT!?!?!?" They both asked her (since it was a 3-way conversation). "You did NOT just do that!" Taylor said. "I did and I feel very…ashamed about it." Gabriella sat down on her bed. "What should I do?" she asked her friends. "I'd slap him hard if I were you if I were you. If Troy really did this to you, just slap him and walk away. Don't…look…back." Gabriella logged onto her MySpace account and noticed that she had received a message from Troy, Chad, and Ryan. She groaned as she clicked on Ryan's message first.

**Gabriella,**

**Don't be mad at Troy. He didn't mean to.**

**Ryan**

Next, she clicked on Chad's message and it read:

**Brie,**

**Troy told me that it was his fault that he had gotten you into this mess.  
He didn't mean to and that he is very sorry. Please forgive him.**

**Chad**

"Gabriella, are you still there?" Taylor asked over the phone. "Uh… Yeah. I just um…received three messages. One from Ryan, one from Chad, and one from Troy; and so far I only read Ryan's and Chad's." Gabriella answered. "What do they say?" Sharpay wondered. "Um…Ryan's says: 'Gabriella, Don't be mad at Troy. He didn't mean to. Ryan' and then Chad's says: 'Brie, Troy told me that it was his fault that he had gotten you into this mess. He didn't mean to and that he is very sorry. Please forgive him. Chad'" "Did you open Troy's yet?" Taylor asked. "No, but I was about to." Gabriella responded. "Okay, open it and tell us what he says." Sharpay instructed. Gabriella opened Troy's message and it said:

**Gabriella,**

**I'm so sorry that this had to happen. I had absolutely no control.  
I need you to forgive me and I hope that you aren't mad.  
But if you are, you should realize that this is my fault.  
If I hurt you in anyway way, blame it on me.  
I hope you understand.**

**Troy Bolton**

Gabriella cried; "Gabriella?" Taylor asked, but Gabriella didn't respond. The next morning, Gabriella got ready for school. But she didn't feel like dressing up today. Instead, she wore a pink dress with a messy bun and pink flip-flops. She had a backpack to go with her out fit. She entered the school; no one looked her way and she sighed. She walked to her locker and opened it, but as she took out the books she had needed, Troy walked up to her. He said hi to her, but she didn't say hi to him back. She closed her locker and looked at him with tears in her eyes. "What is your problem?" he asked her. "I don't have a problem." She answered. He pushed her against the lockers, "What do you want from me Gabriella Montez? What do you seriously fucking want?" Gabriella closed her eyes, hoping that he would loosen his grip, but he didn't.

The force that Troy had used on her made Gabriella drop her books. _I want you_. Her mind thought, but she shook it off. "I don't know!" she told him. Troy let go as Gabriella picked up her books and walked away, crying. She hid in the bathroom all first period. She didn't care if she missed classes; she wanted to go home. She missed her mom. "Gabriella?" A voice entered the bathroom as she looked up. It was Kelsi. Kelsi found Gabriella in one of the bathroom stalls crying. Kelsi hugged her friend and when they pulled back, "Kels, do you think I'm a slut?" Gabriella asked immediately. "No, of course not…. I see you as a normal human being with a bright future ahead of her. Now if you keep missing classes, where will your future go? You have to let him go Gabs. What he did to you was wrong and stupid. You should know that by now."

Kelsi assured her as the two walked to lunch together. "What if…what if I can't stay away from him?" Gabriella sat down at a nearby table which was two feet away from the table Troy was sitting at. "What makes you say that?" Kelsi wondered with curiosity. "I…I love him." Gabriella told her friend. "Does he love you?" Gabriella shook her head and sighed as she glanced at Troy who stood up and walked away from the table. She let her eyes follow him until he was out of her sight. She stood up and followed Troy to the gym. "Hey…" she slowly walked up to him. "Look, I'm sorry—""I know what you did was wrong and that everything was certainly your fault. I understand Troy. But why would you do that to me?" she asked him. Troy shrugged. "I…I don't know; I guess I got too carried away." Gabriella smiled. "You finally got your wish, huh?" "What wish?" he asked her. "The wish all basketball captains want." She told him. "Which would be…?" Troy was highly confused. He had no idea what Gabriella was talking about.

"Sleeping with the hottest girl in school who is known as the school slut, but here you stand, acting like an idiot and not remembering what you did two fucking weeks ago you asshole!!!" Gabriella had her anger boil up inside of her. "Why do you keep calling me an asshole? I didn't fucking do anything to you except sleep with you!" He shouted back. "YOU HAVE ONE FUCKING THING IN COMMON WITH ALL OF THE DAMN CAPTIANS I'VE SLEPT WITH!!!!" "AND WHAT WOULD THAT BE?!?!?!?!?!?!" "YOU'RE ALL FUCKING ASSES!!!!" Gabriella screamed as the whole basketball team entered the gym. Troy's dad was right behind them. "I hate you!" she glared at him. "I hate you too." Troy glared back as Gabriella slapped him and walked away; the doors closed directly behind her as Chad walked up to Troy. "Dude, she's a bitch! Why'd she slap you?" Chad looked at the reddish hand mark on Troy's cheek. "I have no idea but it really hurts." Troy touched his cheek.

The next day, "Troy David Alexander Bolton! You are so dead!" Sharpay pointed a finger at him in homeroom as Troy turned to look at her. "Me? Dead…? Seriously Sharpay, I know what I did and I admitted that it was my fault. I told her that I loved her, but she never said anything back. She slapped me yesterday because she told me that I was standing in the gym after lunch like an idiot and not remembering what I did two weeks ago. I know what happened, but once again, she called me an asshole. What was I supposed to do?" Troy retorted angrily. Sharpay didn't say a word, but stared at him like she couldn't believe what she had just heard. "I…" Sharpay was about to admit that she was sorry, but Troy interrupted. "I know what you're going to say, but it's not going to work." Gabriella entered homeroom and glared at Troy. He knew he had to prove that he was different. Different from all of the basketball captains; he wanted to prove to her that they were still friends. He wished that he and Gabriella would settle their differences between them, but how?

That same week, Troy was being a wreck. He couldn't think straight, nor couldn't he play basketball. He couldn't eat right either. His friends were starting to get worried about him, until one Friday morning. "Troy, you have to talk to Gabriella." Kelsi sat down next to him. "Why should I? It's my fault that I'm acting like this." He said as Ryan sat down next to Kelsi. "Not that I'm choosing sides or anything, but she's right." Chad walked over. "She would never give me a second chance. She's going to move and later on, she'll forget about me." Troy told them. "Dude, I know she slapped you and everything, but you have to talk to her." Chad said. Troy stood up and walked out of the cafeteria; he didn't think of wanting a second chance with Gabriella would be a good thing. But his heart didn't tell him that. His heart told him to forget about her. But his mind told him to stop. To stop and think, but why should he listen if everything is going downhill for him? Troy sighed and took out something that he would regret on giving.


	7. The Last Time

_Memories… _Troy looked down at the necklace he had given Gabriella three years ago before she moved. He had regretted giving the necklace to her, after finding out that she really did hate him. What did he do? He only had a one-night stand with her and that was it. Gabriella Montez had hated him from that day on. He sighed as the necklace drew back so many memories. It brought back the day she first moved to Albuquerque with her parents, the day he first introduced her to Sharpay and Taylor, which was a very bad idea, and how he had told her that they would be friends no matter what. What was the one thing he did wrong during those past three years? He remembered the day she came to school and he noticed she was wearing the same necklace.

"_Perv!" Gabriella walked away from Troy after he stared at the necklace for some time. Troy and Gabriella were juniors in high school. Chad, Ryan, Jason, and Zeke walked up to their friend. "Dude, you should've—"Chad immediately stopped as he realized that Troy was staring after Gabriella. "You like the new girl?" Chad asked. "No; but she was my friend, best friend actually." Troy told them as he closed his locker and headed off to homeroom. He sat down in his seat and it was just two years ago, Ms. Darbus made Gabriella sit in the front. Troy kept his eyes on the clock and groaned. Gabriella looked at him from the corner of her eye. She giggled and rolled her eyes. Same old Troy… She thought to herself as Troy turned to her. "Hey, are you Gabriella Montez?" he asked her. "Yeah; you just noticed that, haven't you?" she asked him. "No; I noticed that a long time ago when you first moved here from California two years ago." Troy answered as she stared at him._

_Not only Troy was looking straight into her eyes; he also knew so much about her. "Wait, the Troy Bolton?" she asked him. Troy smiled as the bell rang. She stood up at the same time Troy did. "Well, I guess I better get going. I don't want to be late for my next class. It was nice seeing you Ms. Montez." Troy turned and left._

_-_

_Ms. Montez…_ The name rang in Troy's mind. It was over the summer that Gabriella had started acting mean to him. After school, Troy drove home and headed upstairs. He entered his room and plugged in a video tape. He remembered watching this during his sophomore year. But he wasn't in school most of the time.

"_Troy, where are you going?" Gabriella asked her best friend as he was about to board the plane with his parents. "Oh uh…I have a basketball thing to do. I'll be back soon. I promise." Troy kissed her forehead; he smiled at her once they pulled back. "You promise…?" she looked up at him. "Of course. I gotta go." He hugged her one last time before leaving. It was the start of the school year and it was almost Christmas break. Gabriella had wished Troy would come back soon because she wanted to spend Christmas with the Bolton's, especially Troy. Finally Troy came back and she was excited, but her dad didn't allow her to see him again. "Dad, but why…?" Gabriella wanted an explanation. Her dad had never said anything about not seeing Troy again. Her dad had told her how boys like Troy can treat girls like herself. She didn't believe it and cried to her mom. Her mom was furious._

_Gabriella was banned from seeing Troy over the weekends and during school. Even if she went somewhere, her dad would ask who she was going with._

-

The next day, Gabriella sat down at her desk. She didn't talk to Troy, nor did she even say a word to him. Homeroom was completely silent and Ms. Darbus was actually surprised for once. The bell rang, Gabriella stayed behind to talk to Ms. Darbus. She entered the gym and decided to watch the boys practice. Sharpay and Taylor entered the gym. "What's wrong Gabby?" Sharpay sat down next to Gabriella; Taylor did the same. "I think I'm in love." Gabriella admitted. Her two best friends looked at her like she was completely insane. "In love…?" The girls both asked. Gabriella nodded. "In love with Troy." "WHAT!?!?!" Sharpay screamed as the boys' looked towards the girls' direction. "Don't you get it Sharpay? I'm in love with him." Gabriella got off the bleachers and walked out the doors. Troy stared after her and then back at Gabriella's friends who were staring after her, shocked. "What did she say?" Chad whispered to his friend.

Troy shrugged and ran after Gabriella. He caught up with her as she was on her way to the theater. "What do you want?" she asked him. "What did you say earlier?" Troy asked her, looking into her eyes. "I don't know; but I've got to rehearse with Kelsi." Gabriella said as she turned and opened the doors. Troy entered right after her. "You're lying Montez." He told her. She stopped walking just as soon the tears started rolling down her cheeks. She turned around and ran up to hug him. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry about everything. I can't handle this. I can't handle being friends with Sharpay. I miss being friends with you, Chad, and Ryan and Zeke and Jason. I miss being at your house. I miss seeing your face. I want you Troy. I need you. I love you." Troy hugged her tightly. "Sh… It's going to be alright. I missed you too Gabs. Every single day, but…" he trailed off as she pulled back. "But what…?" she asked him. "How can I prove to you that I'm different than the others?" he questioned. "You already have Troy.

"Being my best friend, being patient with me, not hitting on me, not touching the places they would touch, and most of all…you waited till the right time to say you loved me. You are different. When you sang at the auditions, I thought that guys would be freaked out and nervous to sing in front of Ms. Darbus. I mean my ex-boyfriend wasn't all that great, but you… you're the greatest thing that's ever happened to me. After three years, I still loved you, but I never had the courage to. I thought you wouldn't love me back. But it's time for us to move on. To go our separate ways and accomplish whatever career that we want; if you want to be in the NBA, that's fine with me. I'm going to move again; I don't know when, but when the time seems right. Just follow your heart Troy and we'll see each other again someday." Gabriella hugged him again as he hugged her back. She pulled back from the hug and walked up the stairs. She stood at the microphone, singing the most beautiful song that Troy heard before he walked out of the theater.

_I'll see you again someday Ms. Montez._ He thought to himself smiling as he walked back to the gym.


	8. Meeting the Neighbors

**Please review and read this story: ****First Love****. It's a Twilight fanfic by EdwardCullenxTwilight. It's really good and she'd appreciate it if you'd review her story. It's her first story so please be nice and don't give her any flames. Thank you guys so much.**

**-**

_Leaving… _It was almost the end of the school year and Gabriella was getting ready to pack up her stuff and leave, but someone stopped her. "Gabriella…" Ashley Jacobsen, the head-cheerleader, walked up to Gabriella as she turned to her. "Yeah…?" Gabriella asked. "This is for you." Ashley handed a card to Gabriella and walked away just as Gabriella's friends walked up to Gabriella. She opened the card and read it to herself.

_Dear Gabriella,_

_I'm so glad that we became friends during our freshman year, but why did you hate me? You don't have to tell me why. I'm just afraid; I'm scared to see you get hurt again. And if you ever think about me again, think about the happy times we've spent together. Since it's almost the end of the school year, my parents have decided that I should leave you alone and let you think for a while. I don't know when I'll be coming back, even though our move won't be too permanent. You know that I'll always love you, no matter how many fights we've been in. Don't worry about telling the guys this because they already know and the fact that I've told them before hand._

_I left because I wanted you to be happy. I can't tell you where I am though, but you know that I'll be in your heart. I left something in your locker, but probably you didn't see it. I asked Kels for the combination and I told Ms. Darbus that you should win the Spring Musical, since you are a good singer. Truthfully speaking… Don't be sad Brie; like you said, we'll see each other again someday. I promise I'll come back. I love you._

_Your Friend,  
Troy Bolton_

Gabriella looked in her locker and found a box; she opened it and found her necklace. That night Gabriella finished unpacking everything she had, but left one box packed. It was full of her old stuff from her freshman year; she didn't want to see it again. She didn't want to see a picture of Troy, smiling his Bolton smile. She didn't want to go to school on the last day. She just lay in bed and cried herself to sleep. She couldn't believe that this was all her fault. Her friends called her, but she never answered or responded to their calls. She was too depressed to talk to them.

18 years passed by, "Ry, are you sure about this?" Gabriella asked Ryan. "Look, as your best friend Gabs, I'm sure." Ryan assured her. "Mom, please…?" Jessica asked her mom. Gabriella was recently divorced. "Fine." Gabriella said as the three of them walked to the house next door. Jessica rang the doorbell and a boy about Jessica's age answered the door. "Hello! I'm Jessica. This is my mom Gabriella and her best friend Ryan Evans. What's your name?" Jessica smiled as he boy smiled back. He held out his and as Jessica shook it. "I'm Kyle. My dad's out playing basketball with his best friend." Kyle said as he let the three of them enter.

"You have a beautiful house." Gabriella complimented. "Thanks." Kyle smiled. "Did your dad choose this house or did you beg him to move?" Ryan asked jokingly. Gabriella lightly hit him. "He chose the house. We actually moved from California. My dad retired from his job in LA. He played in the NBA with his best friend." Kyle replied as they walked outside. Troy and Chad soon enough stopped playing once they saw Kyle. "Dad, I want you to meet our neighbors." Kyle told his dad as the two men walked over. "I'm Jessica." Jessica held out her hand towards Troy. "Nice to meet you Jessica. I'm Troy and this is Chad." Troy told Jessica as he shook her hand. "This is my mom Gabriella and her best friend Ryan." Jessica introduced Gabriella and Ryan. Gabriella looked away for a bit while Troy shook hands with Ryan instead. "Does your mom always act like this?" Chad asked jokingly. Gabriella looked up at Chad. "Not always, but this is the first time she's ever looked away." Jessica answered. In Gabriella's mind, the reason why she looked away was the fact that she didn't want to look into Troy's eyes again.

She didn't want to bring back memories of her past. "Hey, we're having a barbeque party at Gabriella's house. Do you guys want to come?" Ryan asked as Gabriella glared at her best friend. "Sure." Troy smiled. Gabriella rolled her eyes and pulled Ryan inside the house to talk with him. "What's her problem?" Chad asked Troy as the two went back to their one-on-one game. "She looks familiar. I mean she was wearing that necklace." Troy answered. "The necklace you gave Gabby when she left you 21 years ago when you guys were both 15?" Chad asked. "That was Gabriella…?" Troy asked shockingly. "Dude, you just realized that now?" Troy ran into the house to find that Ryan and Gabriella were still talking. He hid somewhere and listened in on the conversation.

"_Ryan, he's still the same person that I hated when we were juniors. He's just…older. I can't believe that he left me just for some stupid NBA job. Why wouldn't he tell me? I called him but he said that he was busy." _Troy felt sad. He couldn't believe that it was his fault for leaving Gabriella like this. _"Gabs, when he left, all you could talk about was Troy. He probably still loves you, but you're acting like you don't want to talk to him. Every time you call me or Sharpay or Taylor, it's always about Troy. It's the fact that you miss him and that you love him. But why can't you just tell him now? Why can't you tell him the truth?" "He won't believe me Ry. He's just like all of them. Like all of the basketball guys who went to the NBA and shortly after, they retired._

"_He has a son now who looks like him in a lot of ways. I came here to meet him to meet the neighbors and just go back home, but I still live in my parents' house still. I planned to move 18 years ago, but it was Troy who stopped me from moving. I cried when he left Ryan. I never went to graduation because of him. I stopped watching basketball games and movies. I never answered to any of our friends' calls. My life was ruined because of Troy. He gave me his necklace back and the reason why he did was because he didn't want to see me get hurt. But I'm hurt deep inside. I have this huge hole in my heart that no one can fix but him. I don't see Troy trying to do that. Ever since freshman year, I've waited to hear Troy telling me that he loved me. But he never said that. He only said he loved me in front of his friends. He always says, 'I love Gabriella, but I don't know if she loves me back.'_

"_I love him more than anything in the whole world. But Troy's…different. He changed over the years and he'll never be the same guy that I loved. He and I will never be friends again." _Troy waited till Ryan walked out of the kitchen and entered the kitchen shortly after. "I heard what you said Gabriella, but I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that I haven't changed, but I have. I quit the NBA because of you. I wasn't participating or concentrating. My mind was on you. I thought I would come back and finally see you, but I saw you with Ryan and your beautiful daughter who looks like you. She's not as shy as you. I hope that you're proud to have her as a daughter. I missed you and I was hoping if…if we could be friends again." Troy told her.

Gabriella smiled and hugged him. She looked up at him as he leaned in and kissed her. Chad entered the kitchen and noticed them kissing. Ryan followed behind and brought Chad out of the kitchen. "Hey!" Chad said as Troy and Gabriella pulled back. "Nice going Sherlock!" Ryan joked. Chad punched his friend lightly on the shoulder as Gabriella rolled her eyes and went back to kissing Troy.


	9. I'm so sorry : Author Note

I'm very sorry, but I don't know if I want to keep this story and plus… I haven't thought about the fact on how the story would end. I may be deleting this, and right now I'm very unsure. But please read First Love by EdwardCullenxTwilight. It's a really great story and it's her first story. So please review.


	10. Short chapter with no title

I really appreciate everything you guys done for me. Thank you so much for the reviews. Read First Love by EdwardCullenxTwilight. She is under favorite authors or her story is under favorite stories. Please read it. It's her first story and she'd love it if you guys would read it. Thank you for all your patience and time to read my stories. I haven't gotten to nearly a hundred views or even past 18 at the least. Also read Boy Meets Girl by edwardcullenxbellaswan. That story is amazing. So far it has 31 reviews and that's the max amount she has gone to. The three of us haven't been up to a hundred yet, unlike most people. We'd all appreciate it if you read our stories. I'm not trying to be pushy or anything; I'm just reminding you. Tell other people to read those stories. Thanks…again! ;)

_Now Back to the Story…._ (Finally I'm thinking of how to end this and I'm NOT going to delete it)

Jessica and Kyle had entered the house; and finally they both saw their parents kissing each other. "Geez mom! Get a room!" Jessica called out to Gabriella and Gabriella pulled away quickly, blushing with embarrassment. "Do you like…know each other?" Jessica asked as Troy and Gabriella walked out of the kitchen. "Yeah… we were old friends." Gabriella said as Troy looked at her, surprised. "We're more than friends Brie, we're best friends." Troy smiled. She blushed even more when he had said her nickname that he hadn't called her in a long time. "You're unbelievable Bolton!" she joked as she rolled her eyes. "What?" He asked her as she shook her head in annoyance. "How do you two know each other?" Kyle asked. "We met each other in high school; she moved into the house next door, but way before that, our mothers were best friends."

Troy answered. Right then, Gabriella cursed under her breath as she ran towards the door. "Where's she going?" Chad asked. "I have no clue." Jessica answered. Gabriella came back moments later carrying a box and placing it on the dinner table. "What's in this box Brie?" Troy asked again as they gathered around the table, watching Gabriela open the box carefully. She pulled out the contents one by one and placed them all on the table. "Hey, it's my old basketball." Chad said as he pulled out a basketball. Gabriella giggled. "And my jersey." He also pulled out his number 8 basketball jersey. "How long have you kept this Montez?" Troy asked. "21 years." Gabriella answered simply as she took out a card that looked familiar to Troy and gave it to him. "What do you want me to do with it?" he asked her again. "Just read it…out loud." Gabriella instructed.

"Dear Gabriella…" Troy started as everyone looked at him. "I'm so glad that we became friends during our freshman year, but why did you hate me? You don't have to tell me why. I'm just afraid; I'm scared to see you get hurt again. And if you ever think about me again, think about the happy times we've spent together. Since it's almost the end of the school year, my parents have decided that I should leave you alone and let you think for a while. I don't know when I'll be coming back, even though our move won't be too permanent. You know that I'll always love you, no matter how many fights we've been in. Don't worry about telling the guys this because they already know and the fact that I've told them before hand.

I left because I wanted you to be happy. I can't tell you where I am though, but you know that I'll be in your heart. I left something in your locker, but probably you didn't see it. I asked Kels for the combination and I told Ms. Darbus that you should win the Spring Musical, since you are a good singer. Truthfully speaking… Don't be sad Brie; like you said, we'll see each other again someday. I promise I'll come back. I love you. Your Friend, Troy Bolton." Troy ended. "I'm so sorry Gabs; I—"Gabriella interrupted him by placing a finger on his lips. "You don't have to apologize Troy; I accept your apology, no matter what happens."

_Flashback_

_The next day, Gabriella sat down at her desk. She didn't talk to Troy, nor did she even say a word to him. Homeroom was completely silent and Ms. Darbus was actually surprised for once. The bell rang, Gabriella stayed behind to talk to Ms. Darbus. She entered the gym and decided to watch the boys practice. Sharpay and Taylor entered the gym. "What's wrong Gabby?" Sharpay sat down next to Gabriella; Taylor did the same. "I think I'm in love." Gabriella admitted. Her two best friends looked at her like she was completely insane. "In love…?" The girls both asked. Gabriella nodded. "In love with Troy." "WHAT!?!?!" Sharpay screamed as the boys' looked towards the girls' direction. "Don't you get it Sharpay? I'm in love with him." Gabriella got off the bleachers and walked out the doors. Troy stared after her and then back at Gabriella's friends who were staring after her, shocked. "What did she say?" Chad whispered to his friend._

_Troy shrugged and ran after Gabriella. He caught up with her as she was on her way to the theater. "What do you want?" she asked him. "What did you say earlier?" Troy asked her, looking into her eyes. "I don't know; but I've got to rehearse with Kelsi." Gabriella said as she turned and opened the doors. Troy entered right after her. "You're lying Montez." He told her. She stopped walking just as soon the tears started rolling down her cheeks. She turned around and ran up to hug him. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry about everything. I can't handle this. I can't handle being friends with Sharpay. I miss being friends with you, Chad, and Ryan and Zeke and Jason. I miss being at your house. I miss seeing your face. I want you Troy. I need you. I love you." Troy hugged her tightly. "Sh… It's going to be alright. I missed you too Gabs. Every single day, but…" he trailed off as she pulled back. "But what…?" she asked him. "How can I prove to you that I'm different than the others?" he questioned. "You already have Troy._

"_Being my best friend, being patient with me, not hitting on me, not touching the places they would touch, and most of all…you waited till the right time to say you loved me. You are different. When you sang at the auditions, I thought that guys would be freaked out and nervous to sing in front of Ms. Darbus. I mean my ex-boyfriend wasn't all that great, but you… you're the greatest thing that's ever happened to me. After three years, I still loved you, but I never had the courage to. I thought you wouldn't love me back. But it's time for us to move on. To go our separate ways and accomplish whatever career that we want; if you want to be in the NBA, that's fine with me. I'm going to move again; I don't know when, but when the time seems right. Just follow your heart Troy and we'll see each other again someday." Gabriella hugged him again as he hugged her back. She pulled back from the hug and walked up the stairs. She stood at the microphone, singing the most beautiful song that Troy heard before he walked out of the theater._

_I'll see you again someday Ms. Montez.__ He thought to himself smiling as he walked back to the gym._

_Flashback ends_

"I remember the first time you told me that you loved me." He said to her. "You…remember that?" she asked as she smiled. "Of course I remember that." Troy smiled as he gave her a quick kiss.

-

I'm very sorry this was a short chapter. Still I have no idea on how to end it. But if you have any ideas, please tell me. Thanks!!


	11. The end sorry about the short chap

**This was a very short story and it didn't have that much reviews. I'm extremely sorry, but I'll try and come up with something new and better. Right now I have a LOT of homework to do and one more quarter till school ends. I'm very excited. More time for me to think of something. Well, I hope you enjoyed my stories and hopefully you'll read some of the better ones that I have in store for you.**

**I've been thinking about writing some Zanessa and more Troyella stories. Also a little bit of Twilight stories, but I don't know when I'm going to start writing. But I hope that you watch for either of those. Thanks again.**

-

6 months later…

"You may now kiss the bride." Troy and Gabriella finally had their happy ending. Jessica and Kyle weren't surprised when they found out their parents were going to get married. After all, it was a nice happy ending for the Bolton family. Gabriella had finally gotten what she'd wish for and Troy will never regret the day that he had married his best friend, Gabriella Anne Montez whom he loved since the day they first met when they were 15.

THE END


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